Bahia boasts one of the largest port complexes in the country, consisting of the public ports of Salvador, Aratu-Candeias, and Ilhéus, as well as five Private Use Terminals (TUPs).
The complex encompasses the Port System of the Bay of All Saints, consisting of the discontinued port of Aratu-Candeias/Salvador, in addition to the TUPs of Petrobrás (Temadre and the Gasification Terminal), Ford, Dow Química, Moinho Dias Branco, and Gerdau (Usiba), all operating in areas under the jurisdiction of the Bahia State Ports Company (CODEBA).
The concept of a discontinued port applies to Aratu-Candeias/Salvador due to the geo-economic peculiarities of the Bay of All Saints. As the first milestone in Brazilian port history, the Port of Salvador was built in the urban area, in the former business center of the Bahian capital, characterized by the handling of general cargo and grains.
The condition of being an "urban port" does not allow for the operation of other specific cargoes, such as those from petrochemical, ore, and gas areas. The solution was the construction of an extension of the Port of Salvador just 10 kilometers away, navigating within the bay itself, under the concept of a discontinued port, managed by the same Port Authority.